Forty years after the United States stopped spraying herbicides in the jungles of Southeast Asia in the hopes of denying cover to Vietcong fighters and North Vietnamese troops, an air base here is one of about two dozen former American sites that remain polluted with an especially toxic strain of dioxin, the chemical contaminant in Agent Orange that has been linked to cancers, birth defects and other diseases.

Tran Vu Hoai Phuong, who uses crutches after having had polio as a child, says each day is a struggle to get around the city.

Photo: Le Quang Nhat / Le Quang Nhat

(10-17) 04:00 PDT Ho Chi Minh City - --

Le Van Lieu's 4-foot, 5-inch frame lies on a sofa next to a glass display case that contains a red beaded Santa Claus, a bejeweled wallet and other hand-made artwork. His knees are bent inward, giving him a cross-legged appearance - a disability that he believes is the result of his father's exposure to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War.

America's faith communities have a long and important history of helping their members more deeply understand the implications of war, as well as our collective responsibility to our fellow human beings.

This lonely section of the abandoned Danang air base was once crawling with U.S. airmen and machines. It was here where giant orange drums were stored and the herbicides they contained were mixed and loaded onto waiting planes. Whatever sloshed out soaked into the soil and eventually seeped into the water supply. Thirty years later, the rare visitor to the former U.S. air base is provided with rubber boots and protective clothing. Residue from Agent Orange, which was sprayed to deny enemy troops jungle cover, remains so toxic that this patch of land is considered one of the most contaminated pieces of real estate in the country. Read the full story.

World Focus correspondent Mark Litke and producer Ara Ayer travel to Vietnam to report on the long term impacts of Agent Orange/Dioxin on the Vietnamese land and people. This video report was part of their series on New Vietnam.